Painted out of a Corner
by ScienceGeek
Summary: A prank in the lab continues to have repercussions both in Grissom and Sara's relationship, and that of other CSIs. Unbound series. Finally complete.[GS]
1. Painted

_A/N Response to an Unbound challenge. First and Last lines provided. As always, I own nothing related to CSI. And what with Christmas bills coming in, my dreams of taking over the franchise are farther away than ever. _

**"I've got paint all over me!"**

Sara raised an eyebrow at Greg's sudden chortle of laughter, but realized rather quickly that with pigment oozing over her face, he wasn't likely to see it anyway. And glaring with paint in one's eyes hurt. Besides, his giggles were contagious and a quick grin answered his laughter, even as she struggled to spit the goo out of her mouth. Greg stood several feet back from where Sara hovered in the doorway of the microscopy lab wiping hot pink paint out of her eyes. "I better not find out that you're the one who put that bucket of paint over the lab door, Sanders."

His hands were up in a moment, warding her off, "Hey, no way Sara! Not me. A trick like that could be dangerous. You're not hurt, are you?"

"Who's hurt?"

Sara groaned as Greg spun to face their supervisor, simulation dummy hanging from his hands. "No one, at least I don't' think she's hurt." Greg glanced over his shoulder to the woman, his own form blocking her from Grissom's view. "But….damn Griss! Someone thought it would be funny to leave a can of paint over the door. If the can had hit Sara in the head…"

Greg's words trailed off as Grissom dropped the dummy and all but lifted him out of his way. "Sara? You…you're not hurt, are you?"

She shook her head, letting her hands drop to her sides. "No…just…sticky. I…I'm sorry about the floor…"

Grissom's hand liftedtoward her cheek, his fingers almost touching the pink smear before he clenched them into a fist, his hand dropping to his side. "No. I'm sorry Sara…" He glanced down at the dummy lying on the floor, "The….Mellin case. It was an experiment. We thought the boy might have died setting up a prank. I'd gone to get the dummy and….someone was supposed to be watching this door."

She stared at him for a moment before shrugging her shoulder. Grissom was working the Mellin case with Sophia. It wasn't hard to figure out who should have been watching the door. She closed her eyes, recalling the coolness between her and the blonde woman over the past weeks. If Sara were honest, she'd admit she never gave Sophia much of a chance; but the other woman's constant bids for sympathy were grinding. She'd finally blown up at the former day-shift supervisor after she'd returned from seeing the Malton boys in the hospital. She supposed this was payback. "Not your fault Grissom." Opening her eyes, Sara sighed. "Greg uhm….Greg has the evidence from our case. We need to use the comparison scope. Can you…uhm…let him know when you're done here? Please? I need a shower."

Before Grissom could respond, Sara had turned and fled toward the locker room. Greg, however, stood where he was, watching their boss carefully. "I…can wait till this gets cleaned up to use that scope." He paused, for a moment, considering. "I'll just put this in the evidence vault, and get that mess cleaned up for you."

"Greg…" Grissom sighed as he turned to the young man, "This isn't your mess to clean up."

"Oh, don't I know it." The trainee's tone held a note Grissom couldn't quite identify. "But I'll do it anyway. And Gris? If you're looking for Sophia…" He shifted the evidence bag to his left hand as he gestured down the hall, "She's in the break room. Sara and I just spoke to her…told her we'd be down here, using this scope."

He watched Grissom's shoulders jerk, nodding at the older man's request that he put away the simulation dummy as well. He hefted the stuffed man beneath his arm, grinning at him as Grissom's "CURTIS! My office, now!" boomed through the hallway. "Yeah Gray Dude, did she think we wouldn't realize she knew? Oh, I wouldn't want to be in Sophia's shoes now."

Greg made certain to detour very slowly past Grissom's office as he returned to the lab. He could make out only a few of Sophia's words, but Grissom's bellows were clear even through the door. He nodded, and then hurried off to the microscopy lab, and the mess with his name on it. He was still there wiping up paint, a half-hour later when Sara returned.

"Where's Grissom?"

Greg glanced up, his eyes searching Sara's face for any hint of injury. Finding none, he finally smiled a bit. "In his office. With Sophia."

"Oh." Sara glanced that way, her teeth coming out to chew her lower lip. " How's that going?"

"Grissom was pretty ticked. You could have been seriously hurt." His glance followed Sara's as he grinned. "**The storm looks like it's settling in." **


	2. Cornered

_A/N This chapter is also a response to an Unbound challenge. First and Last lines provided. As always, I own nothing related to CSI. Sadly. _

_A word of warning: I am doing this fic in true improvisational style. I have chosen not to think about the next chapter till the next lines are posted. I hope you'll let me know how it's working. _

**It was a quarter to twelve, just minutes away from the start of yet another new year.** Grissom's office didn't offer the solace he was searching for, with Catherine sitting, feet propped up on his desk and an all too innocent expression on her face. He sighed as he pushed open the back door of the lab and slipped into the darkness beside the stairwell. He wished for a moment that he hadn't given up smoking more than a decade before. Cath meant well, he knew; though he also knew she had heard of yesterday's blow-up with Sophia, and wanted all the juicy little details. So Catherine. He would have to wait her out, her shift was well past over, and it was New Year's Eve. He knew she most certainly would have some plans.

He knew, too, that eventually, he would tell her about the scene with his newest CSI, right down to his assigning her this evening's decomp, solo. And she would patiently dole out sage advice, or perhaps not so sage advice, one could never tell with Catherine. She would remind him that Sophia was still an unknown element, and urge him not to forget too soon her ties with Ecklie. Or her reputation as difficult to get along with. She'd remind him how bad he was at politics, then patiently explain the new office regime, in that long-suffering tone that he knew he deserved, but hated all the same. She'd warn him against making an enemy of Sophia, even as strongly as she had warned him against making a friend of her. The she'd start in on how this all tied into Sara.

Sara.

It was easier to think about Sophia, and all the complications having her on his shift among his people, had brought to his life, than it was to think about his reaction to yesterday's prank and Sara. He told himself, as surely as he would later tell Catherine, that he would have been as angry had it been Greg covered in paint, or his head nearly hit with the can. Sophia's prank was anathema to the carefully nurtured team spirit that had made the former night shift so successful, and such a joy to work with. But some dark, niggling part of his brain wondered-Would he have even _noticed_, had it been Greg? Or even Sara six months ago, before he vowed to look at her, to _see _her more often?

He shied away from the answer to that question, turning his eyes up to the light show gracing the sky. Sophia. Easier to think about how to handle Sophia Curtis than it was to think that maybe Ecklie was right about him and his team. Maybe he hadn't noticed enough about what was going on around him, maybe he wasn't good for them. And now, this rift between Sophia and the others certainly wasn't good for his new team.

"She was Ecklie's right hand for almost as many years as I was yours, Gil. People don't forget that sort of thing quickly."

"Catherine." Grissom glanced up, and then stepped to the side, making room for the swing-shift supervisor in the shadows of the building. "No party?"

She shrugged, "Lindsey wanted to spend New Year's with her grandmother. And…I really wasn't in the mood for a celebration." She paused, her eyes locking with his. "You need to go carefully here, Gil."

"It's not that dark out here, Cath."

The frustrated sigh he'd come to know so well over the years of their friendship blew across the space between them, "Don't be obtuse on purpose Gil, it's not an attractive trait. You know what I'm talking about."

Cath was treated to, in turn, the resigned sigh that _she'd_ come to expect if he stayed around long enough to listen to her haranguing, "Sophia."

Catherine nodded, "Yup." She looked away then, her eyes moving to the brilliant rosebuds blossoming in the sky. "And Sara."

"This isn't really about…"

Catherine cut him off with a raised hand, though her eyes didn't leave the traditional New Year's pyrotechnics. "It is. In a way. Look Gil…I'm not going to lecture you about your personal relationship with Sara. Though God knows…" She paused, leaning back against the building with another long sigh. "This…Supervisor stuff. I understand better now how difficult it is. Just…don't give Ecklie any more ammunition, all right? If he heard about yesterday…"

"Even Ecklie isn't stupid enough to approve of childish pranks Cath. Especially dangerous ones."

She nodded slowly, "Maybe not. Even so…he's fishing Gil. You've already made him your enemy. I'd be careful not to add Sophia."

"You don't like her."

"No." She looked at him then, and grinned. "I don't. But that doesn't matter. Take a piece of advice from someone who isn't as bad at office politics as you. Keep your enemies close."

"We don't know she's an enemy."

"After yesterday," Catherine shook her head, her hands coming to pose on her hips, "Do you really think she's a friend?" At his silence she nodded. "Right."

For a moment, Grissom thought she was done, and that he had escaped the more personal facet of her advice. Then her voice drifted out of the shadows again. "It's interesting though, isn't it?"

He was tempted to ignore her, if he ignored her, there was a chance she would stop talking. Fifteen years of friendship though, told him that even in Vegas, no one would take _those _odds. "What is?"

"Oh," she waved her hand airily, "Why Sophia would choose Sara to take out her frustrations on." She moved her eyes from his, then, back to the heavens. "And why it made you so angry that even the lab techs on swing are buzzing about it."

"Catherine." A warning.

"Just think about it Gil. That's all I'm asking."

He grunted, and then straightened after a moment. "Are we done here?"

Catherine's lips twitched as she jerked her head above them. "Seems like it." As she spoke, **the last of the fireworks displayed their brilliance in the sky. **


	3. Openings

_A/N This chapter is another response to an Unbound challenge, first and last lines provided. This time I'm 29 words over the limit. I'd like to thank Cybrocat and Frumpy for Beta-ing this chapter for me, and for their encouragement when I was worrying excessively over it. _

_If I owned CSI, this plot would be happening in the show, not in fanfiction. _

**"You always look before you leap don't you?"**

Sara blew out her breath, looking up from a stack of photographs. Sophia stood in the doorway to the layout room, lounging against the frame. She looked calm, comfortable; to anyone glancing by it seemed liked she owned the place. The ease with which the other woman stared at her irritated Sara, "Excuse me?"

"You," Sophia wandered into the room then, glancing at the photos Sara was scanning with a magnifying glass. "You always map everything out, always have a backup plan. Very…safe."

Sara reached out slowly, moving the stack of images out of Sophia's reach. "Does this have something to do with the case?" She paused, glancing up, "Because I wasn't aware we were working on it together."

"Would you object to that?"

A shrug, "If that's what Grissom wants. He is the boss." Sara looked up, recalling the scene Greg had described in their supervisor's office and couldn't contain a smile. "Or, did you forget that?"

The other woman sighed, "No. I haven't. So," She shrugged, mimicking Sara's gesture of a moment before, and walked around the table reaching for the photographs. "I have been instructed to apologize."

"And?"

"And, I apologize."

It took an extreme act of will, but Sara managed to refrain from rolling her eyes. "Save it, Sophia. Apologies really only count if you mean them. Not if you're instructed to give them." She held out her hand for the pictures, not moving her gaze from the blonde's. She might have felt, briefly, yesterday, some level of guilt for her part in the confrontation with Sophia a few days before, but that was quickly melting away. "I do have a case to solve. If you don't mind?"

"Of course. Always the case first." Sophia handed the pictures back to the other woman. "Always looking. Do you ever leap, Sara?"

This time she couldn't manage to keep her eyes looking forward, instead they strayed heavenward. "So…this is about me, for some reason? I'm just trying to do my job here. In the interest of getting my job done," she paused, looking up at Sophia. "Though it is not any of your business. I leap. I have leapt. I will leap. Can I get back to work now?"

"Sara…" Sophia sighed, "Look. We have to work together. If not this case, another. So I'm going to be direct, here. Why can't you get along with me?"

"Excuse me?" She knew she was repeating herself, but this conversation was not going as she had thought it might. "I'm not really sure where you came up with that. And…I don't really know how you letting me get splattered with paint equates, in your mind, to me not getting along with you." She stopped, looking at the woman, "I'm fine, by the way.  
Since you asked."

"It was a little paint. A…joke." Sophia smiled, "You don't take jokes well?"

"Funny ones, sure." She lifted one of the pictures and returned to her earlier perusal, hoping the blonde would get bored, and leave. When she didn't, Sara sighed, and looked up. Sophia wasn't leaving. "You said, once, that you miss…being trusted. Do you think you're making headway at that?"

Sophia stiffened, "You don't want to be trusted?"

Honestly, and probably, if she stopped to think about it long enough, sadly, Sara really didn't care. It had mattered to her once that Warrick trusted her, that Nicky did, and Catherine. It still mattered that Grissom did, though she wasn't sure she'd ever gain that back. But she just couldn't bring herself to care if Sophia did. And that, she supposed, was the fatal flaw in her relationship with the other woman. She just couldn't bring herself to care. "Depends on by whom, I guess. But," she moved the photo aside, and lifted another, "You didn't answer my question."

"No." Sophia stopped then, moving to one of the stools and perching on it, "But I guess I know when I'm fighting a loosing battle."

"Really?" Sara's hands moved over the photographs, sorting them to piles, though what criteria she used wasn't obvious with mere observation. "Maybe," Her voice came slow then, in that lazy drawl that so many lab techs had tried, and failed, to place. "Maybe _you_ should be the one thinking about looking before you leap, then." Sara glanced up and met Sophia's eyes calmly, no hint of humiliation or timidity. She was silent for a moment, weighing her words carefully. "No one owes you anything here, Sophia. Not me. Not Greg. Not Grissom. I'm sorry Ecklie demoted you. He's an ass. I'm sorry it took you this long to realize that. But…it's really not my fault he blindsided you. I'd appreciate it, if you didn't take that out on me."

"That's what you think?" Sophia was the first to look away, unused to not being the one in control of a conversation. "That this is about Ecklie?"

"Ecklie. Not getting Days, or even Swing, supervisor. Getting caught up in…whatever it is he's doing. Whatever." Sara shrugged, "Just…leave me out of whatever it is. And while you're at it, leave Greg out of it too." She was quiet a moment, "And Grissom."

At the mention of the supervisor's name, Sophia's brow went up. "Ecklie worried that Grissom's team did too much to protect him."

Had he? Sara hadn't quite understood what had been the new assistant Director's logic for breaking up the team. "That's crap."

"Is it?"

"Yeah." Sara pulled back from the table then, all pretense of work gone from her posture. "It is. Ecklie's probably never worked on a real team in his life. He can't recognize something good when he sees it." He probably never would. "Do you?"

When Sophia just looked at her, Sara sighed. She had to admit, she didn't always trust the rest of her team with everything that made her…Sara. But she trusted them as much as she could. And she knew, at least as far as Warrick, Greg, and Nick were concerned, they trusted her. "This team is a chance to understand that, Sophia. **This isn't your last chance, but it's the best one."**


	4. When the words fail

_A/N Another chapter based on an Unbound Challenge. First and Last lines provided, and limit of 1000 words. I made it within the limit this time. _

_Thank you to Cybrokat for the Beta. _

**Grissom froze suddenly; the growl was soft, but dangerous, and coming  
from below his waist.**

"Sara?" He glanced down at the floor, sure he was no where near contaminating the crime scene. She was scouring the area with the ALS, and, as he had known, at least two feet from where he stood. He'd been in no danger of disrupting her search. Her snarl couldn't have been directed at him, could it? She'd been distant since he'd summoned her from the layout room, where she'd been going over the photographs from the Muniz case. It was a Fish Board case, surely she couldn't be upset  
over being pulled away to a new murder. Even now she was glaring at the floor, giving no evidence of having heard him. Her hands clutched the light, and even through her gloves he could see how tightly stretched her skin was around the implement.

Sighing softly, he crouched beside her; his eyes scanning the carpeting almost in tandem with Sara's. He remained that way for a moment, giving her a chance to realize he was there, to respond to his nearness. When she said nothing, did nothing but continue to search the floor, he finally whispered, "No trace?"

She didn't start exactly, though her gaze flicked quickly from the floor to meet his before glancing back down. When she spoke her voice was soft, no hint of the growl from a moment before. "Not a speck." She blew out a long breath, her fingers tightening on the tweezers. "It's okay, Grissom. I've got this."

He nodded, but remained at her side, eyes scanning the knobby brown carpeting. He moved along with her, his own small black light moving in an arc next to hers. He wanted to relax, to relish in the harmony that work often brought them. But he could feel the tension pouring off Sara in waves. "Sara I…I saw Sophia leaving the Layout room earlier."

"Mmhmm."

"Did she apologize?"

"She did."

"Good." He glanced Sara's way, half hoping she would continue, give him more…something. When did it get so hard again, talking to Sara? Something was bothering her, had been since they had left the building. Since the two female CSIs had been together, he might have guessed that Sara's mood had something to do with Sophia, but Sara said she'd apologized. And she hadn't seemed overly upset about the paint incident in the first place. Or, maybe he just didn't want to think too hard about Catherine's insinuation that Sophia's treatment of Sara had something to do with him. "I wanted to…"

"Look, Grissom." She closed her eyes for a moment, hands coming to rest at her sides, fingers tight on her flashlight. "Can we just finish this, please? Sophia apologized. It wasn't your fault, and you really didn't need to make her say anything. It's over, please."

"Okay." He hovered at her side briefly, then reluctantly stood. "I'll finish up in the kitchen and I'll meet you at the car." He remained frozen there another moment, waiting for her to do something more than just nod. When no other acknowledgment came he blew out a rough breath, and moved to the kitchen. When he turned back to glance at her, he thought he caught her head jerking back down to her work, but he couldn't be certain.

So it seemed to go the rest of the night. They processed the house separately, speaking occasionally, but only about the case. Sara was silent on the ride back to the Lab. Not rude, not even cold…just quiet. And Grissom couldn't find a way in, no matter how often he tried. Once back at CSI, Sara took evidence to Mia, and left Grissom to deal with Hodges and their scant Trace.

"Hey boss!" Hodges' voice rang through the lab as Grissom deposited two bagged threads, and what seemed to be half a plastic button on his table. "I guess you heard, huh?"

Of course Hodges would want to talk. He paused in the doorway then turned around, peering at the lab tech over his glasses. "Heard what?"

"About the cat-fight. You know, Sara. Sophia. In the Layout room, earlier." He lifted one of the bagged threads, turning to prepare it for his 'scope. A scowl appeared on his supervisor's face, but Hodges didn't seem to notice. "I mean first with the paint, and then…"

"Hodges."

"Yeah, Boss?"

Grissom's jaw tightened as he nodded toward the evidence. "Process." Halfway out the door he paused again, turning back to the other man."_Without_ your mouth."

He didn't find Sara until they were both in the parking lot after shift had ended. She paused when he called her name, giving him a weary smile as she turned toward him. "You need me for something?"

"Yes…no." He stopped, shaking his head as he looked down. "Sara. What happened with Sophia? Earlier?"

"Nothing, Grissom." Sara gave a quick shrug, not meeting his eyes."Listen. Grissom, I appreciate your…concern. But it was nothing. I don't need…You don't need to be…concerned…about me." She smiled again, though this time all the emotion seemed to be drained from the expression. She climbed into the car, rolling down the window just a crack to whisper,  
"Have a good day Grissom."

He stood, for a long time, watching the car disappear down Tropicana. There had been a time when he would have known whether to believe if it really had been 'nothing'. A time he would have known how concerned to be. Now though, he had no idea. **"How did this happen?"**


	5. Deconstructing Grissom

_A/N : Another Unbound challenge response. Thanks to Cybrokat for her Beta. First and last lines provided. I believe I did make it within the 1000 word limit. _

The hot chocolate warmed her as it slid down her throat, making her groan with pleasure. She closed her eyes, hands grasping the hot mug even more tightly. This, was probably one of the best moments at work since she'd become supervisor. It was certainly in the top ten. No one bothering her, begging for time off, or her signature on some useless paper or another, no Ecklie demanding to know why her team actually spent time solving cases, instead of going with the quick close. The boys were still out on their 419, and neither seemed perturbed at the thought of another double shift. Catherine kept her eyes closed and smiled softly, top ten, hell, this was definitely the best working moment since she took over Swing shift.

Noise in the hallway outside her office finally prompted her to open her eyes. Gil and Sara were returning from their scene already? Catherine must have spent more time at work than she thought. She watched them idly as she gathered her things to go home.

Something was…not quite right with the pair of them. She blew out a harsh breath at that thought. When was anything right with Gil and Sara?

She slowed her trek to the locker room when she saw Sara sitting by herself in one of the labs. Poking her head in the door she watched the brunette idly staring down at DNA printouts. "Rough Night?"

Sara looked up with a shrug, "Hey Cath. You're still here it's…" a glance down at her watch let her know that maybe it was Catherine who was having the bad night, "Three AM. You keep these kind of hours, people might forget that you're Swing now."

"Well, you know as much as Ecklie loves tormenting Gil, three AM is still the least likely time he'll be around here, getting in everyone's way."

"Yeah," There was no mistaking the bitterness in Sara's voice, "Avoiding Ecklie has become a sport around here."

Catherine sat at one of the stools, "He cornered you, too, huh?" She would have liked to have said more, to have expressed her true opinion of the weaselly little man. But she couldn't. Such were the determents of command.

"Yeah." Sighing, Sara laid the DNA results on the table. "I think…I think some of the things I said…"

"Hey. Whoa there Sara." Catherine shook her head, "He cornered all of us, and twisted everything we all said. He was a man on a mission. You can't be blaming yourself." At the wince on the younger woman's face Catherine sighed, "You are, aren't you. Well stop. It's not your fault."

"I don't think that's what Sophia thinks."

Catherine laughed, "You're thinking of that…what did she call it…joke? How could she know what you said to Ecklie? And since when does what Sophia think of any of us matter, Sara?" She watched the woman carefully, her eyes scanning the other's face. "Sara?"

When the younger woman looked up Catherine continued, "Have you talked to Grissom about this?"

Sara just lifted a brow as Catherine explained. "I think you might listen to him, when he tells you this isn't your fault, more than you will to me."

"I did…ah…mention it to him."

"And?"

Sara just shrugged and looked back down at her print-outs.

"Listen Sara. I don't have to tell you that with Gil…well sometimes communication isn't his strongest suit." She chuckled when Sara finally cracked a smile. "You've noticed, have you? Something I've noticed…Listen Sara, I don't particularly like talking about my own shortcomings…"

"You?" Sara's smile hadn't left her face, "I would never have guessed."

"Smart-ass. The point is, sometimes I…we…get so wrapped up in believing Gil's going to screw up whatever conversation we're having, that we beat him to the punch."

All pretense of work laid aside, Sara sat up straight and looked at the Swing supervisor. "I'm not following."

"We screw it up first. We come out swinging, figuring we'll have to eventually. Or," she paused, looking Sara in the eye, "Give up too soon." She paused, watching the other woman for a moment before smiling again, "In my case, it's usually the first. Did I ever tell you how I cornered him, demanding a good AP score when I applied for the Days position?"

Sara watched, mutely shaking her head.

"I did. Went on and on about how I deserved it, how I was always defending myself to him. Blamed him for…well, you don't need to know the details. Suffice it to say I was rather…histrionic."

Sara's eyes widened as Catherine continued her tale. Details or not, she knew what it cost the older woman to admit that last. "Cath…"

"Shh. I'm not finished. Do you know what Gil said?" When Sara shook her head again, Catherine grinned. "He said he agreed, which was why he gave me good scores on the evaluation he'd already done, and in the conversation he'd already had with the Director."

"Oh."

"Sara!" Catherine stood and rounded the table to talk to the younger woman, "Sara. Sometimes he's an ass. I know that. But the point is, sometimes, we are too. Give him a chance to really let you know that none of this…none of this Sara…is your fault. So which was it?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did you jump on him before he had a chance to hear what you were saying, or give up too soon, before he could come up with a reply?" She grinned at the look on Sara's face, "Never mind. None of my business."

Her brow lifted as Sara began gathering up her evidence, "Off somewhere?"

"You should be going home. It's after three-thirty now." At the blonde's relentless stare she shrugged, "I have someone to talk to."

Catherine grinned and moved toward the door. "Say no more. I'm out of here. I may even get an hour or two of sleep before I get Lindsey off to school." She grinned to herself as she left the building, sure Sara would be heading toward Grissom's office. "Maybe I should rearrange my top ten list."


	6. Noticing

_A/N This week's lines were evil, evil I tell you! Fitting them into this WIP was excruciating. But here they are. Unbound challenge, first and last lines provided. I think I made it in about 950 words. Since I had such a hard time with these lines, I'd appreciate any feedback you'd be willing to share. Thanks. _

**"No no, I need a bubble wrapped cushion envelope." **Greg rifled through drawers in the lab, ignoring Warrick who had his hand out to the younger man. Warrick tossed the plain evidence envelope back into his kit.

"Why?"

"To wrap Sara's birthday present."

"You know, I know Cath has us working a lot of doubles, Greg," Warrick laughed at the once spiky-haired young man, "But I don't think I zoned through seven months."

Greg just glared and returned to his search of the lab, ignoring the two Swing shift idiots congratulating themselves on their wit. Nick grinned at Warrick before returning to stare at the ex-lab tech. "Greg-Man. What War means is…you do know Sara's birthday is in September? If you're planning ahead for next year, I don't think you need to panic just yet."

"Yeah?" Greg turned to face Nick, "What did you get her? Last year, what did you get her?"

"Ah…" He glanced at Warrick who shrugged, silent. "I guess I didn't…"

"…Get her anything." Greg nodded, "I know. None of us did. Did you know that? Not a single person in the lab even gave Sara a birthday card!" He slammed a drawer shut, turning to grab up the envelope from Warrick's kit. "Maybe I can pad this."

"Greg," Warrick finally spoke, glancing from Nick down to the hard tile floor of the lab. "Come on Man, you know how Sara is. She's private. She needs her space. If she'd have wanted…"

"Bull." Greg shook his head as he grabbed cheesecloth from one of the benches. Mia was going to kill him when she got back from her break. He'd just blame it on Hodges, not like anyone really liked Hodges anyway. "Yeah, she likes her privacy, but come on guys…we're supposed to be her _friends_!"

Nick glanced at Warrick who shoved his hands in his pockets, giving a half-hearted shrug. "I asked her to have lunch with me to celebrate…" His voice trailed off, and he nodded too.

"Guys, have you even _looked_ at Sara lately?" Greg stopped his frantic search and sank onto a lab stool. "Really looked at her?"

Warrick and Nick exchanged somewhat guilty glances, "Well. With the shift change…You know we miss Sara and…"

Greg just shook his head, "Easy to say Nick. Look, I'm right there with her every day. She's…pulling away. This thing with Sophia, it's just one little part of it. There's Ecklie. There's…whatever's always there with Grissom. There's not having you two around anymore. And there's…more. I don't know what it is, but there's more."

Warrick's face tightened. Days and Swing had been buzzing about Sophia dousing Sara with paint. Most of the lab techs on swing and graveyard, he knew sided with Sara. But the days folks, and some of those from swing backed Sophia. Warrick was surprised at how quickly sides were drawn up. He's personally wanted to throttle the blond CSI. Though he'd done little to show _Sara_ his support.

"What did you have in mind, Greg?"

Several hours later, it was the Texan who was sent with the job of tracking Sara down and keeping her out of the break room while Warrick and Greg set up an impromptu party in between processing the evidence from swing's 419. He'd seen Catherine leave, near four AM, but hadn't seen sign of Sara since, which of course, made it easier to keep her away. But damned if he wasn't starting to worry that she'd miss the shindig all together. The techs were starting to give him strange looks, as he made his fifth circuit of the hallways. At the sight of her brown hair, bent over a scope in one of the labs he grinned. He swung around the door frame to lean against the table where she worked. "There you are girl."

"Nicky," she smiled as she looked up, "What's with your shift tonight? Didn't any of you go home?"

"Nope. New boss is a slave-driver. What about you, getting out of here on time this morning? Or can I take you to breakfast?"

She shrugged, "I'm just looking over some old evidence. I was…I needed to talk to Grissom before I go home."

Nick waved a hand in the air, "Him. You'll be waiting all day. Heard him get called out to Laughlin about three hours ago. Bugs."

"Bugs?"

"Yeah." Actually, Nick had no idea where Grissom had gotten to, but if Sara was intent on waiting for him, she'd wait all night. Unless she had reason to think he wouldn't be coming back. "Bugs. He'll be gone hours yet. So see? You've got time to come out to grab some grub with me."

Sara sighed, but couldn't come up with a good reason to pass on breakfast. She'd already told him she was only looking over an old case. "Grab some grub? You're going all cowboy on me, Nicky?"

"If that's what it takes."

Finally, laughing, Sara nodded. "All right. Give me ten minutes to clean this up?"

"Sure." He turned toward the door, "I'll just grab my stuff and meet you in the break room." He sauntered out of the room, not a care in the world until he got around the corner where he broke out in a trot. "Hey Greg! Warrick, Man, she's on her way!"

True to her word, Sara boxed up the evidence and returned it to the vault within five minutes of Nick's leaving. She detoured by Grissom's office, just in case Nick was wrong. Seeing it dark she continued on to meet the Texan. Her eyes widened as **Sara opened the break room door to find a small cake with candles, and smiling mischievous co-workers. **


	7. Lowering the Walls

_A/N: Apologies for being a week late with this chapter. It is, of course, a response to an Unbound challenge, but not the current lines. Next chapter probably will take a week or more, as well. First and last lines provided, just over the 1000 word limit. Thank you, everyone, who has been sending me feedback for this story, it's been very helpful. Thank you Cybrokat for the beta. _

**An upside down photo lay tattered on the floor**. Grissom nearly tripped over it as he brought his breakfast into the break room. He bent down to retrieve the snapshot and tossed it idly to the table next to his pancakes and sausage. Grissom's eyes strayed toward the photo as he lifted his fork to spear a bite of his late meal. His eyes narrow at the visage of Sara flanked by Warrick and Nick, with a very obvious thumb in the frame. Frowning he laid it back on the table and reached for his crossword before going back to the picture. Sara was holding a party hat, but both Nick and Warrick sported them on their heads, their goofy smiles evidence that the apparel might not have been quite their own choosing. He might have thought it was a left over snapshot from the holidays, but he recognized the teal jacket on Sara was as one she'd only lately begun wearing, and had been dressed in the previous shift. He returned to scratching an answer in his puzzle when something else about what Sara was wearing drew his eyes back to the picture.

A smile.

Seeing the expression on the girl in the picture, he dropped both pen and fork, and lifted the photo gently into his hands. How long had it been since he'd seen a smile on Sara's face?

Before he could come up with an answer, the woman in question slipped back through the door. "Hey Grissom, I was looking for…"

He glanced up at her, for once not censoring his words as he watched her  
walk into the room. "You've changed."

"I…what?"

His eyes sought refuge in the photo, and he realized his unplanned words were an unintended double entendre, "You changed. You…were wearing something else last night. I didn't think your case would…" He paused, taking a quick breath, and then plunging into a question, which, like the statement before had layers of meaning. "Everything all right?"

"Oh." She stared at him for a moment, and then glanced down at the blue t-shirt she now wore, "Oh. Greg got cake all over the blouse I wore last night. And…"

At his perplexed look she just shrugged, "They uh…gave me a surprise birthday party."

The puzzled look only intensified. "Your birthday was in September."

A hint of a smile passed over her face at that, "Yes…I…I mean, Greg…and Warrick and Nick. They felt like…we were... Since the shift change, we haven't had a lot of time to get together, and I guess…" She shrugged; the fact that none of the other three had remembered her actual birthday was uncomfortable enough that none of them had even broached the subject. She couldn't imagine talking about it with Grissom. "It was just…" It was then she saw the picture, "There it is. I wanted to keep it, it's funny."

Grissom smiled, handing it over to Sara, "Greg's thumb, I take it?"

Her own smile widened as she nodded, "Yeah. He wanted to be in the picture too. Thanks Grissom, I'll see you tonight." She was halfway to the door when Catherine's advice resurfaced. "I…you know Gris. I…there was something I wanted to…I mean. Do you have some time?"

Grissom watched Sara for a moment, indecision warring with something else in his features. Finally he shoved his breakfast aside and stood. "Sure. Let's…let's get out of here. "

An hour and a half later found them with McDonald's bags clutched in their hands, sitting on a bench on the observation deck of the Stratosphere. Their conversation on the drive over, in line at the restaurant, and through the security checkpoint at the tower had been incidental. They chatted about little things, Catherine's adjustment to being supervisor, Nick's new girlfriend, Greg's first court appearance. It was this that brought the conversation to more serious footing.

"Sara…" Grissom dropped his breakfast burrito onto the bench next to him, "You've been doing…you've been doing a great job with Greg. I wanted you to know that."

"Thanks." Sara paused, glancing down into her coffee. "Grissom, I…" Mimicking his actions, she set the coffee aside. "Listen, I never said, the other day…I never apologized for what Ecklie….for how I came across to Ecklie. The guys…it was obvious that the guys aren't happy with this shift change, neither is Sophia. And I can't help but think…"

"Sara," Grissom's voice was low as he interrupted her, "Sara stop. This whole thing…this has nothing to do with you. No matter what you said, or didn't say, when Ecklie was…" he grimaced as he continued, "interrogating you…it didn't matter. He would have used whatever _any_ of you said to break up the team. Not because of you, but because of me."

"Grissom…"

"No, Sara. I haven't been the best supervisor, I know that. But," he paused to shrug, flashing that little half-smile that always seemed to set Sara's heart fluttering,

"No, Grissom. You're three times the supervisor Ecklie could ever be."

He smiled, shrugging. "You know Sara, I don't think that would really matter. Ecklie has his issues with me. I don't do…office politics well. It's my failing, not yours, that cost us the team. I'm the one who should be sorry. For a lot of things."

Sara's only response was a frown as she lifted the coffee back to her lips. For a moment, neither spoke. As the moment dragged on, Sara shifted, opening her mouth to say something, anything, to end the discomfort for both of them. Only Catherine's words stilled her own.

Finally Grissom sighed, "When we talked last week. You…you mentioned our…complicated relationship. And," he stopped again, staring down at his second uneaten breakfast of the day. Sara's hands were clenched in her lap, her knuckles white; he moved his own hand to cover hers, but at the last moment let it drop next to her thigh. "It wasn't all you either, Sara. I…I made a lot of mistakes…too. I was…" He stopped, finally looking up at Sara's shocked expression, "Confusing."

Her laugh emboldened him, and he grinned, "My mistakes are coming home to roost."

Sara smiled, letting her hand drop from her lap onto his, "That's the best place to deal with them."

**"So it would seem."**


	8. Surprise Admissions

_A/N First, let me apologize for how late this chapter is. I'm about 4 Unbound challenges behind now. We've had some major family stuff going on, which kind of muted my muse for a while. First and last lines provided, as always. I think ti made exactly 1000 words this time. Thanks to Cybrokat for the beta, and for demanding I do some explaining of Sophia's actions. _**  
**

**"Okay, I may be missing something, but... what's with the bubble wrap?"**

Sophia stood near her locker, as Swing shift ended and Grave began. Warrick was near his own small space, pulling out a large roll of everyone's favorite stress reliever, bubble wrap. He struggled with it a moment, but managed to pull the roll out without disturbing too many of his belongings. He let it fall to the floor as he slammed his locker shut.

"Rough case?"

"What?" Warrick turned to Sophia, his eyes crinkling in puzzlement. "Nah. Two Smash and Grabs, no luck there, but not much missing either. Why?"

"Well," Sophia glanced at the roll on the floor, then let her eyes climb very slowly back to Warrick's. "That's a lot of bubble wrap…thought it might mean that you're very…frustrated. Anything," she paused, her eyes locking with the black man's, "I can do to help?"

He just stared at her another moment, rolling his eyes at the somewhat sultry tone of her voice before shaking his head. "Nah…it's for Greg."

"Greg is frustrated?" Something about her tone cooled then, and she turned back to spin the lock on her locker.

Warrick's brow furrowed as he shook his head, "Nah. But I figure this way, he won't go so ballistic the next time he wants to wrap a birthday present." Warrick flashed a quick grin as he hefted the roll under his arm. "Figure I got him covered till he's about ninety now."

"Oh." Sophia turned back to place her purse in her locker, "I uhm…I heard about that…party." Her shoulders stiffened as she tossed her blonde hair behind her, "Not from anyone who was actually there, of course."

Warrick stared for a moment, and then moved toward the door. He wanted to find Greg and give him the wrap before he headed out with Nick for a few beers. Nick, he was sure, would want details of Greg's expression when presented with the windfall of little plastic bubbles. His hand was on the door before he stopped, and reconsidered. "What did you really expect, Sophia?"

"Excuse me?"

He sighed, letting the roll fall back to the floor. "I'm serious. Did you expect an invitation?"

"If this is about the paint again, I did apologize."

"Because Griss made you." He stood for another moment, glancing several times toward the door. Finally he sighed, and straddled one of the benches. "You really don't get it, do you?"

"I guess not."

"We had a team, Sophia…"

"And I had a job!" Sophia's voice was more strident than Warrick had ever heard it as she interrupted him. "As a supervisor, Warrick. A team that trusted me. You aren't the only ones who lost something."

"I know that, Sophia." Warrick ran a hand over his face, unconsciously imitating Grissom as he paused to consider his words. "We trusted…trust…each other. It's never been about being trusted…it's about having someone to trust. People you know have your back. Always, you know?"

"Yeah. I knew that, once."

"See, that's the thing." Warrick shook his head gently as he watched Sophia slump against her locker, "Did you really? Because…I don't know. That stunt with Sara? Doesn't really give any of us confidence that you know how to be part of a team, ya know? And doesn't make those of us who care about Sara really want to get to know you, to trust you. I don't think any of us know who you really are, Sophia."

"The thing with Sara!" Sophia growled and threw herself to the floor, "God, I'm sick of hearing how wonderful Sara is! Even Hodges hasn't been able to resist singing her praises, and to be honest, I don't think he even _likes_ her!"

"You channeling Jan Brady over there, Sophia?"

She let her head drop back against her locker, "What?"

"You know…'Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" He grinned, "You do a good impression of her. And for the record, Hodges doesn't like anyone."

For a moment, Sophia just glared at him, and then finally shrugged, "You think I'm jealous of Sara?"

"Aren't you?"

"Warrick," Sophia sighed, "I was supervisor of my own shift. And suddenly, I find myself on Graveyard. With no one trusting me because I investigated them. Do you know how lonely that is? How isolating? Only Grissom gives me the time of day, and then only in random intervals. Do you know how much that screws with a person?"

"Nope." Warrick paused, and then grinned, "Sara does, though."

"Sara?" Sophia jumped up, looming over the Swing shift CSI before she began pacing the locker room. "The lab's golden girl? How would she understand?"

Warrick just shook his head. For someone as smart as Sophia had to be, someone who was supposed to be so good at office politics, she sure did miss the back-story, didn't she? "You really don't know that Griss brought Sara in to investigate another CSI, who she recommended be fired? And then he hired her to work _with_ that CSI? Then, turned around to ask her to investigate him again? And she suggested, again, that he be fired? Grissom didn't…as far as I know; ever explain to her the reasons why he didn't follow her recommendations."

Sophia stopped. "Sara? Came in as an internal investigator? You're screwing with me, aren't you?"

"Nope. Every word is true."

"I…I'm surprised." She paused, leaning against her locker again, "Did the CSI she investigated leave?"

"No. What makes you think that?"

"I…it's just that, every CSI seems to…I don't know…really," She paused then, considering her words. "Work very well with her. I don't see how the CSI could still be here."

"That's because you don't understand what it means to be on a team Sophia. A real team. You can't just think about yourself, you know? Sara doesn't." He stopped then, his voice softening, "And when she's wrong…she really admits it."

"It was you?"

"Yup."

"Jan Brady, huh?"

"Oh yeah."

**She laughed as she threw herself to the floor again.**


	9. A New Prank

_A/N: Apologies for the long delay. RL has been quite overwhelming for the past month. I hope that things are finally calming down enough for me to catch my breath. This is, another Unbound response. I have an ending, of sorts, planned for the next set of lines. (Which are, by now, weeks old!) Thanks to everyone who has stuck with it. _**  
**

**"I believe that an apology is in order." **Sophia stood just inside the doorway to the microscopy lab, the lab where all the tension on the shift had started. Her blue eyes never left Sara's form, hunched over the comparison 'scope. She stood patiently as the other woman finally looked up, her brown eyes widening in surprise before narrowing in suspicion.

"I thought," she began slowly, "We'd already gone over that."

"We did." Sophia paused as she walked into the small room, "We did. But I…didn't handle it as well as I should have."

Sara just shrugged, moving back to her work, nimble fingers lifting a scrap of cloth from bindle to slide. "It's over. No harm, no foul, I suppose. Why re-hash everything now?"

"Because you were right."

"Come again?"

Sophia's face broke into a quick, pleased smile. She'd known that would get Sara's attention. She was pleased to have been right. She took her time moving toward the other woman, her pace seeming even slower in the blue light of the lab. Finally she pulled up a stool, sitting herself across from the other. "You were right, Sara. An apology doesn't mean anything if one's hand is forced." She paused then, sighing briefly. "I shouldn't have insulted your intelligence with the kind of apology I gave you."

Sara watched as the blonde woman spoke; finally giving up on the pretext of work. She removed the slip of cloth from the slide, returned it to the bindle, and scrawled her initials across the envelope. "What brought about this change of heart?"

"Warrick did, actually."

"Warrick?" Sara's brow rose in surprise. "He giving seminars in apologies on the side these days?"

"No," she flashed Sara a quick smile before quieting for a moment, "Nothing like that." She watched the other woman, head cocked to the side as she debated how much to tell Sara of her conversation with the swing shift CSI. "More like a seminar on working with my new team."

She'd chosen correctly in not sharing that Warrick had spoken specifically about Sara's start on the night shift. Even with what little she had said, Sara's eyes were already darting away from hers. "Oh?" Sophia had to hand it to her, though; she could detect no sign of discomfort in Sara's tone. "What pearls of wisdom did he have to say about us?"

"Oh," Sophia shrugged, "Nothing all that specific. It was more…a reminder that I'm not the only one here who has had to deal with…unpleasant repercussions lately. You…were right about something else, too."

Sara glanced down at the evidence bindles, "Walk with me to the vault, you can tell me what else I was right about on the way. It's…" she looked up at the clock over the door, "A half an hour past the end of shift."

"Ecklie"

Sara turned as they made their way past the garage. They'd made the trip from the lab to the evidence vault in near silence, commenting only on the case, and the scant evidence that seemed to be willing to reveal itself. Sophia hadn't followed up on her somewhat cryptic comment about the issues she'd been so willing to discuss earlier. "Ecklie?" Sara paused, and turned to look at the blonde. "He's…uh…not coming in, or anything, is he?"

Sophia shook her head, "No. He's really on vacation. I think Greg actually called the airlines to make sure he got on the plane. No I meant…that's what you were right, about…Ecklie."

Sara grinned quickly, "About him being an ass?"

Her answer was a laugh, "That too. But…about it being Ecklie who was really…making me angry. For demoting me. I didn't deserve that. But…you didn't deserve to bear the brunt of that anger."

Sara shrugged, "Don't worry about it. We all…screw up sometimes. I know I do."

The other woman nodded, "I was also…bothered…about Grissom."

That did throw Sara, "Grissom? I know he can be…distant sometimes, but unlike Ecklie, he never means it…"

"No," Sophia interrupted her with a quick shake of her head, "I…Look Sara. When I first came on this shift, Grissom was the only person who would give me the time of day."

"I know," Sara rushed to apologize herself, "I know. I'm sorry about that. It's just…"

"You don't trust easily, any of you. I know." Sophia nodded, "Day shift would have been the same, if the tables were turned. I know that. But, with Grissom being the only one willing to…give me a chance…I guess I just relied on him too much. And his mind was always on you, so…I guess I don't like sharing much."

"What?" Sara stared at the other woman, but Sophia's attention was gone, her eyes straying into the garage.

"What the hell is Hodges doing in there?" Sophia left Sara standing in the corridor as she yanked open the door to the garage. The lab tech was standing amidst two piles, one of daisy stems, the other of their petals. "Hodges, what is all this?"

"An experiment."

Sara followed behind the blonde, one look at the mess in the lab and she knew she wasn't going to get any more answers from Sophia. "What kind of experiment? She loves you, she loves you not?"

"Very funny Sara." Hodges looked up, "Boris from Days, he needed to know the probability of flower stems and petals falling in precise patterns. I was just…cleaning up. And watch the door! It's letting in air!"

"Flower patterns?" Sophia glanced at Sara and grinned, "Hodges, I think Boris was pulling your leg." The two women shared a laugh as **the breeze blew the petals across the floor.**


	10. Moving Toward Friends

**A/N**: I've finally finished this story. I know it's been a year since I last posted anything on it. I've had some very serious medical problems in the last year, and have just gotten back to feeling like I can write again. And I needed to finish this before I could move on. I continued with the Unbound Improv lines-the next set, I think, after I left off. First and last lines provided. As always, I own only my nifty CSI hat. That's it.

* * *

_She walked down the corridor, humming "Happy Birthday" under her breath. _Even without the tune, Grissom would have noticed her. Since their breakfast two days ago, he'd been more aware of Sara than he had been in months. 'You see me every day.' Grissom closed his eyes as he remembered her rejoinder of…how long ago now, since the last time he had really looked at her? And how easily he had let one cool response force him back into his flight away from her? Was that his destiny then, with Sara? Always pushing and pulling, one always pursuing, one always running, would they always be trapped in some dysfunctional dance that neither would be able to break away from?

But then-there had been that breakfast. In many ways they'd been more honest with one another at the top of the Stratosphere than they had been in a long time.

And here she was, smiling again.

"Sara?"

The woman stopped and spun on her heel, "Grissom. I didn't see you there. I was just heading to the break room." She glanced at the assignment slips in his hands, "Anything interesting?"

"Does kidnapping of a school mascot count?"

Sara paused, trying to read his expression. "Seriously?" At his nod she grinned, then shook her head. "No, it doesn't count."

"Then no. Nothing interesting." He fell in step beside her. Past several doorways he didn't say anything, watching her continue to smile from the corner of his eye. "You've changed."

Sara laughed softly, "Yeah Grissom, I went home last night."

Before they'd had breakfast-before he'd really thought about Catherine's advice, he probably would have left it at that. Maybe he'd changed too. "No. I mean…I haven't seen you this…I haven't seen you smile in a long time."

"Oh." She stopped, turning to face him. "I guess…"

"I…" Grissom interrupted, his hand moving to touch her arm for a brief moment. "I'm glad Sara. You seem happy….happier. Everyone does and…I'm glad."

Her smile returned then, and she nodded. "Thank you, Grissom. It's been a good couple of days." She laughed then, "After being doused with paint I mean."

"It has?"

"Yeah. I think…" her brow wrinkled thoughtfully as she considered her next words. "I think we all…the shift change hurt us all. I think we let it pull us farther apart than we had to. And now…we're fixing that."

"With Nick, Warrick, and Greg you mean."

"No. I mean all of us, Grissom. We're all fixing it."

"Oh."

She stopped again, before they got to the break room. "I meant it for a lot of things." She looked down as he glanced at her uncertainly. "Thank you, for a lot of things. For…I don't know…being concerned even when I told you it wasn't necessary. For…what you said at the Strat. Really for being a better supervisor than you realize. For…for a lot of things."

He smiled. "You're welcome. I really am happy you're doing better, Sara. That everyone is."

She smiled then, and her next words made him realize that she still hadn't lost the ability to leave him speechless. Well, you know._ As Karl Menninger once said, 'Love cures people, both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.'"_

_Fin_

**A/N:** I originally planned on the story ending up with GSR resolution. But the show has moved on so far since the whole change in shift thing, so I felt it was best to show a repair in the friendship, and go on with resolving the UST in future stories. Thank you to anyone who had the patience to wait for an end to this. I'm truly sorry for the year long wait.


End file.
